Baku, Azerbaijan, May 10
By Fatih Karimov - Trend:
Tehran exported over 15 million tons of cement and clinker in the past fiscal year (ended on March 20), Abdolreza Sheikhan, secretary of Iran's Cement Industry Employers Association said.
The figure indicates a 20 percent fall compared to 18.5 million tons of cement and clinker exports during the preceding year, Sheikhan said, IRNA news agency reported May 10.
The security problems in the region has led to the fall in Iran's cement export, Sheikhan said, adding, earlier Iraq's market was sharing 60 percent of Iran's cement export.
Last year Iraq increased custom tariff for each ton of Iran's cement from four to $13, Sheikhan said.
Currently Iraq imposes $72 tariff for each ton of cement imported from Iran, he added.
Sheikhan further said that Iran's cement exports to Azerbaijan also witnessed significant fall as the country has increased its cement production.
Tehran now seeks to find new markets in particular in Africa and Central Asia, he added.
The country also produced over 60 million tons of cement and clinker in the past fiscal year, about 13 percent less year-on-year, Sheikhan said.
Iran currently exports cement to some 24 countries including Iraq, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Pakistan, Qatar, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Georgia, Oman, India, and China.
Last year, Sheikhan warned that Iran is gradually losing its domestic and foreign cement markets.
"Cement supply and demand is not balanced in the market and this has created problems for producers," he said.